EAT THIS: Packable Meals

The importance of carrying around a small cooler to pack your food cannot be stressed enough for fat loss success! Taking food with us can be EASY if we pre-plan. There are so many simple foods to pack in a cooler to keep ourselves properly fueled with clean food even when not at home in the kitchen. Whole fruit, fruit salad, potato salad, chicken salad, sliced chicken breast, canned tuna, hard boiled eggs, smoothies, mixed berries with protein powder mixed in (strawberries/blueberries w/GT chocolate protein is a favorite!), protein bars, etc. Keep it simple and easy. Here are more recipe ideas on what to pack in your cooler:

(note:many of the recipes call for almond flour or almond milk. Coconut flour can be substituted for almond flour – and hemp milk for the almond milk for those not eating nuts or wanting a healthier fat source)

Barbara’s Banana Squash Protein Bars

The snack bars are perfect for the fall. They are easy to make, convenient to travel with and freeze well. The spices, squash and nuts can be changed for your personal tastes. Using 2 tsp baking soda per the recipe creates a more cake like texture, while reducing to 1 – 1.5 tsp creates a denser, more brownie like texture that holds up better for travel. These are delicious.

Ingredients:

.5 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 cup almond flour

.25 cup raw almonds

2.5 cups unsweetened applesauce

2 tsp baking soda

7 oz bananas, mashed

1 TBS ground cinnamon

.5 tsp ground cloves

2 large egg whites

1 egg

6 scoops GT vanilla whey protein powder

250 gram acorn squash, cooked

1 TBS vanilla extract

Instructions:

Bake squash face down on cooking sheet coated with cooking spray at 375 degrees for 45min-1 hr until soft. Mix all the dry ingredients together and whisk to remove lumps. Mash the bananas and squash. Add all of the remaining items to the dry mixture. Mix well. Lightly greased 9×11 baking pan, and bake at 350 for 20 – 25 minutes. Let cool. Cut into 12 bars. Wrap individually then store bars in a ziploc container. Keep in the refrigerator. (I usually freeze six bars to keep fresh for later in the week.)

Chocolate Yam Protein Bars

This is a good combo of protein/carbs/fats, and can be a ‘meal in a bar’ in a pinch. Feel free to sub out spices, flours, and sweeteners to suit your individual circumstances. Using 2 tsp baking soda per the recipe creates a more cake like texture, while reducing to 1 – 1.5 tsp creates a denser, more brownie like texture that holds up better for travel.

Soak nuts and seeds, except flax overnight. Rinse and process in food processor. Add ground flax, almond butter, protein powder, apple butter, and coconut. Mix well. Roll into balls and serve. They can also be dehydrated and frozen. One serving is one ball

Pumpkin Pie Shake

A favorite stand-by for many of our clients, this shake is actually delicious as it warms up. Tastes just like pumpkin pie – without the crust!

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp ground cinnamon

.25 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp raw ginger root

1 scoop GT vanilla whey protein powder

.25 tsp nutmeg

1 cup sweet potato, cooked

Instructions:

Process it in a good blender. Good room temperature or cold. add: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice or cloves to taste and water to thin to desired consistency (will thicken).

Cabbage Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

.25 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 apples

4 cups red cabbage, chopped

.25 cup dried currants

1 cup grapes

1 TBS raw honey

1 TBS raw lemon juice

2 oranges

.5 cup Veganaise (or All Good Mayo from Genesis recipe section)

.33 cup raw walnuts

Instructions:

Chop oranges and apples. Cut grapes in half. In a large bowl, toss cabbage, oranges, apples, grapes and currants. Cover and refrigerate. In a small bowl, combine the veganaise, almond milk, lemon juice and honey; cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, stir dressing and walnuts into salad.

The ingredients as posted are incorrect for the protein bars. I have worked on the recipes over the past few months and feel like I have the ingredients dialed in. Please email me and I can send you PDFs for the correct recipes.

Hi Lisa – most folks are using 1.5 cups applesauce – that’s the recipe in our cookbook and in Genesis. I double checked with Sam. The recipe probably works fine with .5 cup as well so no worries if that is what you’re using! THANKS!

I have made this with the 1.5 cups of apple sauce and find it takes twice as long to bake as noted in the recipe. I just figure this was my old oven. the 1.5 cups of apple sauce make this a sweeter, more moist cake which was a hit with my family.